Chemical Makers Shrug Off Market Turmoil So Far

3:41 PM MDT | August 22, 2011 | —ROBERT WESTERVELT

Producers are keeping a sharp eye on order patterns but say there have been no signs of deterioration despite the sharp falls in stock prices and economic turmoil. The CW 75 stock price index declined 18% July 5-August 18. The S&P 500 is down 15% over the same period. Producers say there has been no significant change in demand since the start of the third quarter. “We have not seen any change in orders at all,” says Seifi Ghasemi, chairman and CEO of specialty chemical maker Rockwood Holdings. Rockwood’s demand tends to closely track...